Elder Rasband Encourages Business Leaders to Share and Celebrate Life of Christ

Contributed By Marianne Holman Prescott, Church News staff writer

15 December 2016

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.

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Bethlehem may be different today than during the time of Jesus Christ’s birth, but the message of Christ—“His birth, life, sacrifice, and Resurrection”—is the same, said Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during a luncheon held in the Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday, December 13.

The annual event, sponsored by the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter, brings business professionals and community leaders together to “grow moral and ethical leadership.”

A former businessman himself, Elder Rasband—who worked for Huntsman Container Corporation and Huntsman Chemical Corporation for two decades before full-time Church service—commented that it was difficult when he was working in a professional setting to find ethical and moral people. It is “even more difficult in today’s world to build up the good and the kingdom of God on earth,” he said.

But moral and ethical leadership is necessary, he said.

Sharing a Christmas message and personal experiences, the LDS leader encouraged listeners to share the message of Christ in their various responsibilities and capacities.

“Share and celebrate the life of Christ,” he said. “We come to know Him [the Savior] by doing what He did.”

Elder Rasband shared experiences and simple acts of service—from his own life as well as Church history—that “bear witness of [the Savior].”

He told of faithful men living in Bethlehem who pass the sacrament to a small group of people worshipping. He told of a mother serving her family at Christmas, despite difficult times. And he spoke of a man—gifted in music—and his journey to produce a beautiful Christmas hymn, “Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains.”

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.

Kurt and Michelle Olaveson perform during the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.

Elder Rasband said it is often through simple acts that a person is able to “do the Lord’s bidding” and bear witness of Him. Just as these examples testify of Christ, so can people today as they contribute in their own spheres and responsibilities.

A simple way to contribute is by participating in the Church’s Christmas “Light the World” campaign, the leader taught.

“It's not too late to join in,” he said. “I invite you to participate to the degree that you can.”

The BYU Management Society was founded in 1977 by Merrill J. Bateman, former BYU president and an emeritus General Authority Seventy, as an organization to strengthen leaders around the world. There are currently chapters in more than 30 countries and more than 50 U.S. cities.

Kurt and Michelle Olaveson perform during the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.

Keith B. McMullin, CEO of Deseret Management Corporation and former member of the LDS Church’s Presiding Bishopric, introduced Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at the BYU Management Society Salt Lake Chapter's Christmas luncheon held in the Little America Hotel on December 13. Photo by Marianne Holman Prescott.